Dahomey Amazons

The all-female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey, active from the 17th to the late 19th century. The Mino were the king's personal guard and the elite of the Dahomey army, distinguished by their discipline, their celibate dedication, and their fierce reputation in battle against neighbouring kingdoms and European colonisers. The regiment was finally dismantled after Dahomey's defeat by the French in 1894.